Moving On
by Goldilocks 92
Summary: The morning of the final battle, Severus wakes up with Hermione Granger in his arms. But his thoughts are still consumed by Lily Evans. Perhaps it's time for him to move on... HG/SS, 2 shot!
1. Chapter 1

Severus' eyes snapped open the moment he awoke. It was the same every morning- he wasn't the type of person to carry on dozing, he was a busy man. But this morning wasn't just any morning, it was the morning of the final battle. It was, quite probably, the last morning of his life. Which was why he had allowed Granger to sleep over for the first time. Normally he fucked her and then told her to go, but last night when she had asked if she could stay, he had relented. If it was to be his last night on earth, why the hell not? It didn't mean anything; she was a warm, willing body and he was a man with needs.

Severus had been fucking the Granger girl regularly for the past month. They had been cooped up in Grimauld Place with the rest of the Order, planning and preparing for the final confrontation with the Dark Lord. There hadn't been much to amuse him and he hadn't been able to slip away and visit one of the Knockturn Alley whores to satisfy his needs as he normally did. Granger was a relatively pretty girl, and intelligent enough, although he would never have admitted it to anyone. And she had offered. No strings attached.

Severus could remember the first time she had approached him. She had stood there, in front of his couch in the library, her eyes big and her curvy figure hugged by her jeans and jumper. The jumper had been green. Snape wasn't sure if that had been in an effort to please him, or if she simply liked the colour. "I want you." She had said, surprising him into remaining silent. She had spoken with a quiet confidence he wouldn't have expected from her. "I know that you could never feel anything for me, and I don't expect you to. But I'm probably going to die soon, and I don't want to deny myself any last pleasures that are in my reach. I'm twenty and no longer your student. No one will know." As she had said all this, she hadn't wavered once. She had looked him square in the eyes. Severus hadn't seen the point in resisting; she was offering something he wanted, and he was going to take it. God knew, he needed to find a way to release the tension which suffused his bones in the daily meetings with the Order. Each member was more insufferable than the last.

And so they had started a routine. They ignored each other during the day, as they had always done, and she would come to him in the night. And they would fuck, and then she would leave. That's all it was: fucking. He would always take her from behind; he didn't want any extra intimacy. And she hadn't minded. At least not at first. But then she had tried to kiss him, had suggested that they try a more traditional position, had asked if she could stay the night. Each time she had proposed something along these lines, he had refused. He wasn't looking for any intimacy, any emotional attachment. He just wanted physical release.

It wasn't that he didn't like her. She was pretty, some might say she was beautiful. She was magnificent in bed, although he didn't require much participation, but she was incredibly responsive. More so than any other woman Severus had been with. She was smart- her contributions in the Order meetings were often the only ones worth listening to. But his heart had been taken a long time ago. And it had been taken to the grave, along with Lily Evans.

And with that thought, Severus removed Granger's arm from his chest, and got out of bed, methodically pulling his clothes on. He was almost glad that this day had come. No more waiting around. The time to act had finally come. He would lead the Order into the "ambush". The Dark Lord would never expect them to be prepared, he trusted Severus implicitly. But Severus wouldn't turn around and fight by the Dark Lord's side, as was expected. He would help the Order defeat him, thereby finally paying his debt to Lily in full. And then he would be released from the one thing that had been his sole focus for the better part of his life. So he might as well die, Severus thought, there would be nothing left for him. The thought of dying almost filled him with a sense of relief.

Perhaps, just perhaps, he would even see Lily again.

As Severus reached for the door, Granger's voice stopped him. "Severus" she said. It was the first time she had spoken his first name. "I love you." Severus didn't turn around. She continued. "I know you don't, you can't, feel the same way. But I just wanted you to know."

Something seemed to twinge inside Severus. Nobody had ever said that to him before, as tragic as that was. But she was just a girl, what did she know? And he was probably about to die, and so was she, so what did any of it matter? And so he didn't answer her, didn't turn around to look at her. He simply left, prepared to face the day ahead.

...

The battle was over.

They had won.

Potter had killed the Dark Lord.

He had survived.

Severus didn't feel anything. He simply sat down on the dirty, bloody ground of the Great Hall and stared blankly ahead. His eyes saw images, but his mind didn't register them. A group of Weasleys hugging and crying. Mediwitches bustling around people on stretchers. Hermione Granger running towards him, with a determined expression on her face. He felt like he should somehow respond to the last image, but he didn't know how. He didn't feel anything.

But then he saw Granger falter, and stop. The Weasley's broke apart, identical expressions of shock on their faces. The air around them seemed to shimmer and then slowly started to solidify. Severus watched as shapes began to form, from nowhere. At first they were just outlines, human shaped silhouettes, but then they started to fill out- legs, arms, head. And then hair, eyes, nose, mouth. Recognisable faces. They were everywhere- Severus lost sight of all other Order members as people, lots and lots of people, materialised in front of him. Most of them seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place them. Until he saw Cedric Diggory. And then Fred Weasley, who Severus had seen die, only minutes earlier. And there was Charity Burbage, the old muggle studies teacher who Severus had seen floating above the dining table at Malfoy Manor, before Voldemort had killed her almost a year ago. All the people murdered by the Dark Lord were standing in the Great Hall. They didn't seem disorientated, or confused, as if they were conscious of all that had happened between their deaths and the present moment of time. And then there was uproar as people were reunited. Fred Weasley was suddenly being held by his weeping twin. Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang were locked in a tight embrace. Everywhere there were people hugging and crying.

Severus couldn't fathom how this was possible. He didn't try to. Instead, his mind was focused on one thing, one person who he knew was in the Great Hall, the one person he had been pining for, living for, for decades. He stood up, as if in a trance, searching. He moved forward through the crowd. Hermione Granger was before him, her face turned up toward his, hopefully. She was injured, her face was tired and dirty, there were tears leaking out of her eyes, but she didn't seem to notice them. Neither did he, not really. He knew they were there, but at the same time he didn't. He only knew one thing. _She_ was alive.

He pushed past Granger, not sparing her a glance, not noticing the way her face crumpled, the way her whole body seemed to sag in defeat, the way she fell to the floor as if the life force had suddenly been drained from her, the way she looked around the Great Hall, realising that there was no one there for her, before apparating away.

Severus walked, his neck craning, his eyes seeking. And then he saw it. Long, red hair, draped across slender shoulders, draped over the arm that was around her back. The arm belonged to James Potter. There was another arm clinging to her waist. Harry Potter. The presence of the male Potters barely registered with Severus. He walked around the group until he could finally see her face. _Lily_. Her pale, beautiful face was covered in tears, which only served to make her seem more attractive. Her deep green eyes were filled with an intense emotion. But they were not directed at him, they were looking down at her son.

Severus felt as though his heart would beat out of his chest. His throat was constricting, he was struggling to breathe.

He walked over to the group of Potters and stopped so that he was facing _her_. "Lily." His voice came out choked. He wasn't sure he would be able to speak.

She looked up. Those green eyes, the very ones that had had haunted his dreams for years, looked directly at him.

And the warmth was gone from them. They were cold. The tears stopped, miraculously.

"Severus" she said, but she said it with no emotion, no joy at seeing him again. Nothing. "It is nice to see you again." It was clear that she did not mean it. She held Harry Potter's head to her chest. As if protecting him. From _him_. From Severus, who had spent the last two decades doing everything humanly possible to protect the boy. And she knew. She knew all he had done, all he had sacrificed. And _nothing_. Not even a thank you.

Her eyes were steely, icy cold, as she said "we must catch up some time" before turning her face towards her husband's and kissing him. Kissing. him. Kissing. James. Potter. In front of Severus.

And suddenly Severus' emptiness was gone, and he was _angry_. So. fucking. angry. He turned and walked away. He knew he wasn't welcome. And suddenly he didn't care. He had never been angry at her before, and it felt so good. This time, for the first time, he was in the right and she was in the wrong. He had no debt left to repay her. He had righted all his wrongs. He had protected her son, had helped destroy the Dark Lord, and had done _everything_ in her name. For her. For her forgiveness. For her friendship. For her affection. And he deserved all those things. And she had treated him with cold indifference, as if nothing had changed since he had called her a Mudblood when he was a child.

Severus finally felt _free_.

He left the Great Hall.


	2. Chapter 2

Severus sat down at the base of a tree, looking out over the lake. The castle was behind him, he could hear people talking, laughing, crying. It was one great mess of human emotions.

It was the same tree under which he had been humiliated all those years ago. The same tree under which he had uttered that one word which had ruined his friendship with Lily. Only now could he see the truth. He had been in the wrong, had used a terrible word, but his actions shouldn't have been unforgivable. If she had truly been invested in their friendship, she would have taken the time to listen to him. She wouldn't have married the man who had tormented him for years. No. She had already given him up for a lost cause, the word had simply given her a means to do so, without seeming cruel. She was selfish. Self-centred. She had loved the attention the Marauders had blessed her with.

And then thoughts of another witch entered Severus' mind.

Hermione Granger.

Hermione. And with the use of her first name for the first time in his mind, images from the last few weeks flooded his mind, images which had always been in his memory, but which he had hidden from himself, had refused to think about, to analyse. Hermione sitting in the sun with a book in her lap, her eyes closed and face angled upwards, an image of peace, of beauty. Hermione bringing him meals in the library when he hadn't been able to force himself to face the others, and never expecting any thanks, any acknowledgement. And not receiving any either. Hermione's sighs, whimpers and groans of pleasure as he thrust into her repeatedly, his hands tangled in her hair, her hands gripping the bed frame, her knuckles white. Hermione leaning towards him, her lips parted and beckoning, her eyes dark, desperate for a kiss. The look of devastation when he pushed her away. And yet still she had returned, despite his rejection, his cruel words. She was selfless, she was forgiving. And she wanted _him_. No one had chosen him before. And he wasn't the only option; he could see the way the Weasley boy pined after her, the way some of the boys had eyed her up in school. And yet she had offered herself to him, had returned to him night after night, had ensured that he was fed, and had never expected anything in return. And he had barely recognised her existence. He had been so focused on a dead woman, a dead woman who had never been half as kind, half as wonderful as Hermione Granger was, that he had rejected Hermione's affections at every turn. Had used her coldly before making her leave his room.

She'd said she _loved_ him.

And the thought suddenly filled Severus with joy. The emotion felt odd, he hadn't felt anything so positive in a long time. In fact, he hadn't felt anything so _completely_ in a long time. There had always been that pain in the back of his mind dulling all the emotions he had felt since Lily's death. He could think her name now without wincing. His anger, his revelation, had removed the last vestiges of his attachment to her. Perhaps there had always been some kind of unknown, ancient magic binding him to her in such a way until he had fulfilled his debt to her.

Either way, the only woman he could now think of was Hermione Granger. He called to mind all he knew of her- her constant loyalty to her friends, no matter what they did to her, her perseverance and determination in everything she did, her giving, generous nature. Never did he think that such a creature would want him, never did he think that he would want such a pure, selfless person.

But he did. Oh, how much he suddenly wanted her as he sat by the tree seeing things clearly for the first time. And this time, it wasn't such a hopeless desire, such an utterly futile longing. Hermione had said that she loved him. And if he knew anything about her, he knew that she was honest.

But, oh God, how he had treated her! How he had used her, violated her goodness! How he had rejected her, even after the final battle when her face was covered in mud and tears. He remembered now, remembered her running towards him before the dead started materialising, remembered her expression full of hope and longing as he approached her, remembered her look of desolation, of defeat, as he had brushed past her.

How he wished he had stopped, had at least looked back to see where she had gone.

Severus jumped up, suddenly desperate to find her, to see if she was ok, to make right what he had done wrong.

He strode back towards the Great Hall. The survivors had dispersed, some to go to the hospital, some to celebrate. There were the Weasleys and there were the Potters, still huddled together as though unable to let each other go. But Hermione was not among them. Who else would she be with, if not them?

Severus felt a sudden burst of anger towards them. It was clear that they had forgotten her in their joy. Did they not remember all she had done for them?

Clearly she was not still in the castle. There was only one other place he could think of where she might be.

He apparated straight to Grimauld Place. The wards around Hogwarts must have fallen during the battle.

As he entered the house, Severus heard nothing. A deathly silence pervaded the air, contrasting the jubilatory ruckus that had filled Hogwarts after the victory. As he climbed the stairs leading to her room on the top floor, it struck Severus that he had no idea what to say to her. How could a mere apology be enough to undo all that he had done? To undo all that he had _not_ done? He could not placate her with words of love; she was not a girl to be fooled by such protestations and he was not a man who could easily give them. He had never spoken the words before and he was sure that he could not tonight.

Severus knocked on her door lightly before entering, without waiting for an answer. And there she was, curled up on top of her bed, still wearing her torn and dirtied clothes. She was still and did not acknowledge the disturbance. Her eyes were open and dry but he could see where the streaks of tears had fallen on her face, leaving patches of clean skin in contrast to the blood and dirt covering the rest of it.

Severus said nothing. He cast a diagnosis spell, checking for any injuries. She was covered in cuts and bruises and one of her ribs was broken. He approached the bed and sat down next to her, taking off his heavy robe and revealing the comfortable clothes beneath. He leaned over her, taking her shoulder and gently pressing her onto her back. She offered him no resistance, but she lifted her eyes to his, making eye contact with him for the first time that evening. Her face was blank, offering him no insight into her thoughts or feelings.

Severus was not in the habit of nursing, of being gentle, and yet he did his best. He tenderly lifted up her t-shirt until its hem was resting just beneath her breast and slowly laid his hand onto her warm stomach. He felt her stomach clench, but her face remained expressionless. He slid his hand along her smooth skin until it was resting over her ribs and he closed his eyes, letting his magic probe beneath the surface, finding the broken rib, before making it curl around the fracture and healing it, sowing the fibres back together as they once had been.

When he opened his eyes again, Severus saw Hermione looking up at him with an expression of wonder. Never had she seen him so gentle, so tender. Still she did not say anything.

Severus was at a loss. He still had his hand on her warm skin. He felt like he should say something, but he didn't know which words to use. He had never been in such a situation before.

Instead, he trailed his hand down to the buttons on her trousers and undid them slowly. He saw her eyes widening, slightly wary, but he continued on his course. He pulled off her trousers and walked down to her feet, kneeling to take off her socks.

The first injury was just above her left ankle. It was just a little cut, but Severus was nothing if not thorough. He took her foot into his hand and leant over, pressing a soft kiss to the cut before letting his magic wash over it, healing the wound and erasing any mark of its existence. He trailed his hand up her leg till it reached her knee, before crossing over to her right knee which was swollen and bruised. Again, he pressed a gentle kiss to the swelling before healing it, returning it to its previous size. He closed his eyes and brushed his cheek along her thigh as he moved up her body, revelling in the warmth and smoothness of her skin. How had he not noticed before how divine it felt?

There was a wide gash along her right hip, still seeping blood onto the bed sheets. Not wanting to hurt her, Severus healed the gash, watching the skin sow itself back together, before pressing a kiss to the now flawless skin, lingering, enjoying the soft curvature of her hip. He felt, rather than heard, Hermione sigh, but still she said nothing.

Severus repeated the process, moving up her stomach to her torso and down each arm, healing cuts and bruises as he went, replacing them with gentle kisses and committing the contours of her body to memory in case he would not have the chance to take the liberty to explore them again.

When he reached her face, Severus realised that she was softly crying. Her face was calm but there were tears trickling down cheeks. Her beautiful eyes, even more so because of the moisture collected in them, were full of some unidentifiable emotion and held his unwaveringly. He felt like they were trying to convey some message to him and his heart pounded with the hope that all was not yet over. He bent down and brushed his lips along the tracks of tears, taking the moisture with him as he went. There was just one injury to go, a small cut just above her upper lip. Once the tears were gone, Severus moved his lips over the cut, letting his tongue trace it as his magic healed it, before moving them a tiny bit lower to meet her lips. There he pressed the most tender kiss yet, lingering a moment before making to move away. But then her head lifted slightly and she returned his kiss, pressing her lips back against his and letting out a small sob, expressing her uncontainable turmoil of emotions. She finally moved, lifting her hand and resting it on the side of his face, her thumb stroking his cheek. Severus let out a small gasp at the gentle gesture and caressed her lips with his, sucking gently on her upper lip before letting his tongue trace the area where the cut had been. At this, Hermione let out a small moan and Severus felt her shift her hips against his. But he hadn't intended to sleep with her that night and so he forced himself to break their very first kiss.

Dropping one more tender kiss to her cheek, he lifted himself and sat up, gathering her in his arms and holding her against him so that her face was buried in his neck. He would find it easier to speak if she wasn't looking at him with her big, beautiful eyes.

"I'm sorry" he said quietly, finally breaking the silence. "I treated you... I didn't realise..." he broke off again, unable to express what he was trying to say.

"Sssshhh" she whispered, before he could try again. "Just hold me" and she pulled him down so that he was lying on his back and she was lying on her side with his arm round her and her face still buried in the crook of his neck, her arm around his waist. "Let's sleep."

Feeling tears prick in his eyes for the first time in decades at this quiet acceptance of his mangled apology, Severus pressed a kiss to her forehead with his eyes shut tightly and laid his head back on the pillow. He held her to his side, listening to the sound of her breathing for the long time before he too fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**I had thought I'd finished this story, but it kept coming back to me and feeling slightly incomplete, so I decided to finish it some more! I hope you like it :D **

_One month later_

Severus groaned softly as Hermione pressed into him, his back against the wall of the restaurant they had just had dinner in. Her arms clung to his waist, her breasts were pushed against his chest and her curls were wrapped around his fingers. Heaven. She nipped him lightly on his lower lip and he gasped in surprise, allowing her tongue entry into his mouth. His body felt as if it were consumed by flames, his heart pounding as he passionately returned her kiss, rubbing his tongue against hers and hearing her moan in response, "Severus".

Severus groaned again before grasping her waist and spinning her around, pressing her into the wall where he had just been. His lips descended on hers again, more fiercely this time, his tongue sweeping around her mouth eliciting a whimper of desire from Hermione. She grasped his waist again, pulling him even closer against her, and one of her hands moved down to his arse, jerking it forward and bucking her hips up to meet his erection. Severus ground himself into her, his lips descending to her neck to alternately suck and kiss at the flesh he found there. Hermione arched into him, mewling, her hands grappling at his back, trying to pull him ever closer into her. Severus was almost mindless with need, thrusting against her, panting harshly into her neck, one hand slowly moving up her body to find her breast...

When suddenly he stepped back away from her, releasing her, causing her sag against the wall.

"Sorry" he apologised, one hand pushing his hair back out of his face in a gesture demonstrating his frustration. "I shouldn't have-"

"No, Severus, please" Hermione almost whined, her eyes dark and her face flushed, need radiating from her in waves. "Don't stop, not now, please!"

Severus stared at her for a moment, the longing clear in his eyes. But then he shook himself and seemed to straighten a bit, though his face was still tense with the effort it took to control himself, the bulge in his trousers an obvious testimony to his need. "Come, Hermione, I'll take you home" he said gruffly, before taking her arm and apparating away.

They landed on her doorstep a moment later. Hermione's knees must still have been weak from their encounter outside the restaurant, as she seemed to stumble when she landed, almost falling over before Severus caught her. She was once more pressed against his chest, her mouth inches away from his. She steadily looked into his eyes before leaning forward and slowly, calculatingly, slid her tongue over his lips.

"Hermione" he groaned, barely able to contain himself as another wave of desire smashed into him, his abdomen clenching tightly and his erection harder than it had ever been before. "No, no, we can't" he panted against her mouth, his eyes closed as if he could no longer take in the sight of her.

He didn't see her face fall in disappointment and confusion. "I need you" she whispered. "You've hardly touched me since the battle. I can't take it." And suddenly she started to cry, burying her face into his chest. "I can't sleep because I need you so much, my body needs you." She looked up, her face suddenly pale, afraid, her eyes glistening with tears. "Why don't you want me?"

"Hermione" Severus groaned, his eyes open again, full of regret at her sorrow. "I've wanted you so much, I need you so much it hurts. I just, I can't bear ruining things between us again, I was so awful to you the first time, I wanted to take things slowly, I didn't want to rush. I'm sorry." He sighed, taking her hand. "Let's go inside and we can talk."

Hermione nodded, her eyes big. Her tears were gone and there was a soft, frustrated smile on her face. She took out her keys and opened her front door.

Severus led her to her sofa and they sat down. He pulled her against his side and started playing with a strand of her hair. "I'm not good at this, Hermione" he started, sounding unsure of himself and his words. "I've never done this before, with anyone. A relationship, I mean, I've never had one. And I want this to work, so badly. The thought of losing you... It's like nothing I've felt before, not even with Lily." He paused. "I held on to the memory of her for so long, the fantasy I'd made up of her, I never even considered a relationship with anyone else. Not that anyone was ever interested, until you came along. And I was so far gone, I didn't realise how wonderful you were until I'd almost completely fucked it up. The memory of how I treated you, it still tortures me-"

"Severus, stop blaming yourself for the past- I was the one who came to you and offered you sex with no strings attached. You simply took what I offered, something I wanted very, very much. You don't have anything to blame yourself for, really!" She took his hand between hers and started tracing the lines on his palm.

"Oh but Hermione, I do" Severus sighed, taking control of her hand and stroking his thumb along the back of it. "I remember how often I rejected you, ignored you, hurt you. I was a bastard. And I couldn't let that happen again. I wanted to start over with you, take you out, I wanted to get to know you properly before we, you know..."

"And you have! We've done all that! You've taken me on at least twenty dates in the last month and, believe me, they've been wonderful, I've never been this happy, ever. Just, please, make love to me! I can't bear it anymore, I need you so so much" and she twisted around and straddled his lap, taking his head in her hands and pressing her lips against his. "Please" she whispered into his mouth before her tongue found his and her body exploded into desperate need once again.

Severus was faring no better, he ground his hips up against Hermione's strategically placed core, his hands tracing her back, her stomach, her breasts, drinking her in with his mouth. He found the hem of her jumper and pulled it over her head, breaking their kiss. Just when she was about to latch onto him once more, he paused her again-

"Stop, stop-"

"No, Severus, no!" Hermione cried, desperately afraid that he was going to reject her again.

"No, just for a second, I promise- I needed to tell you, I wanted to tell you before we did this-" Severus paused, suddenly looking afraid. He continued quietly- "I love you Hermione, you are everything, I-"

Her mouth was on his again, devouring, she was undoing his buttons, pulling his robe off his shoulders, lifting his jumper and pulling it up and when she had to remove her lips again to pull the jumper over his head, she said in a tone so full of joy and desire he thought he would never hear anything so wonderful ever again, "Severus, Severus, I love you too, so much, I always will, love me Severus, please, now-"

He lifted her from his lap and laid her onto the couch, swiftly covering her with his body before kissing her again. His kiss was hungry, determined, there was no stopping now.

Hermione moved her hands under his shirt, feeling the scarred, otherwise soft skin of his back, moaning at the feel of it under her fingers. Severus shuddered into her, amazed at the intense sensation the caress caused. His hands found the buttons of her trousers and undid them quickly. He slipped one of his hands down, seeking out her warmth, trailing over her bundle of nerves, making her gasp and jerk her hips up into his. His fingers searched lower, finding her wetness- God's she was so wet- and swept the moisture back up to where she needed him most. He massaged her clit as she moaned into his mouth, thrusting into his hand. He had never felt so alive, so aroused, he thrust against her thigh, trying to relieve the unbearable pressure in his cock, gasping as she bit his lower lip and dug her nails into his back in pleasure. He hadn't been touching her for a whole minute and yet she was clearly on the cusp of orgasm, writhing beneath him, crying out into his mouth, clutching at his back, trying to seek purchase to something that would steady her.

Severus stroked her faster and harder, plunging a finger into her while simultaneously recapturing her lips, which she'd torn from his in order to cry out his name. She convulsed beneath him, wailing in ecstasy, tears leaking from her eyes as she came harder than she ever had before, and he hadn't even been inside her yet.

Suddenly she was grappling with his belt, his buttons, she was pulling him out of his trousers, stroking him, making him groan aloud- "I need you inside me, now, Severus, now!"

He pulled her top over her head as he thrust into her hand, and latched onto a nipple through her thin lace bra- "Hermione, Gods, Hermione" he groaned in need, switching to her other nipple, already hard, waiting for him. She pulled his head back up to her mouth and captured his tongue, sucking on it hard and sending a jolt straight to his cock.

He pulled away from her roughly, panting and looking into her dazed eyes. "Bed" he gasped out, trying to find words in his frazzled brain, "I want you in a bed, the first time, the first _real_ time-"

He stood up and pulled her from the sofa, intending to lead her to the bedroom, but when he saw her standing up, looking so thoroughly debauched- her hair wild, her lips red and swollen, her bra askew and her jeans undone- he couldn't help but pull her to him again, one hand splayed across her bare back, one hand on her bum, once again devouring her mouth, his bare cock heavy against the soft skin of her stomach.

Hermione let out a noise, almost inhuman in the intensity of her desire, and grabbed the lapels of his shirt, ripping it open, before releasing his lips and lowering her mouth to his chest. Her tongue traced his nipples and his scars as she pulled his shirt from his shoulders, letting her hands trace his back. Severus moaned aloud, continuously, no woman had ever touched him so thoroughly before, had never kissed and caressed him as Hermione was now doing. He was so sensitive to her touch, every caress left his skin burning where it had been touched, left his cock throbbing, leaking onto her stomach.

The sensation soon became almost unbearable- he had to be inside her. He lifted her hips and she wrapped her legs around his waist, enabling him to carry her towards the bedroom, but then she lowered her mouth to his neck, and sucked, hard, and he slammed her against the wall next to the door of her bedroom, took her head in his hands and thrust his tongue into her mouth, making her mewl. His lips left hers again as he looked into her eyes, no longer hazel brown but almost as black as his- "you make me crazy, witch, I can't think-"

She kept his eyes locked with his and whispered a spell which made the rest of their clothes vanish. They both cried out at the sensation of flesh against flesh, Hermione's wet core against Severus' stomach, his cock wedged between her arse cheeks. Severus reached for the door handle and opened the door leading to her bedroom. He gave her one hard kiss before striding into the room and throwing her on the bed.

Hermione spread her legs and opened her arms, inviting him to her with her body and the pleading look in her eyes. Severus couldn't help himself- he'd been craving her for a month, had tortured himself by taking it slowly, and seeing her open before him, wanting, craving, caused the last of his control to snap. In one stride he was at the foot of the bed, and then he was over her, positioning himself and – finally – he thrust inside her, crying out in pleasure at the feel of her, warm and wet, surrounding him. And this time he could see her, could see her face, could see her eyes widen in surprised pleasure, could see her mouth gape open in silent ecstasy.

"Hermione!" he moaned, before capturing her mouth again, sucking on her lower lip before his tongue entered her mouth, simultaneously thrusting into her again. This time she cried out. He pulled out slowly, one hand on the luscious curve of her hip, the other cupping her face, and pushed into her again, harder, feeling her clench around every inch of him as he hit her cervix. She gasped into his mouth, her hands burying themselves in his hair as he pulled out again. The next thrust, she lifted her hips to meet him and as his pelvis pressed into her clitoris, she shuddered and came suddenly, moaning his name in a way that made him fight not to come as well.

He stilled in her, trying to regain his self control. He was not ready for it to end. He didn't think he ever would be. She was gasping into his neck, coming down from her sudden high, when she noticed he had stopped moving. "Severus" she started, lifting her hips slightly, "Severus, more, please". He lay still, his cock twitching at the continued need in her voice despite having had come for the second time. She started kissing his neck, caressing his arse. "Severus, darling, fuck me."

As if he could deny her. He groaned and started moving again, slowly pulling out and thrusting back in again, her hips meeting his every time. She was so wet. He could smell her and it only served to make him need her more. "Faster" she groaned, and he sped up, rocking into her, once again covering her mouth with his, needing to be connected to her in every possible way, but too far gone to kiss her properly. Instead they panted into each other's mouths, biting down onto each other's lips as they rocked closer and closer to oblivion.

"Harder!" she cried and he acquiesced, using all his force as he drove into her again and again, driving her up the bed as if he was trying to climb into her body. "Hermione" he groaned, "Hermione Hermione Hermione Hermione" he couldn't stop mindlessly chanting her name, it was a prayer, a cry for absolution and she was responding, absorbing him into herself and in turn trying to become a part of him.

He could feel her walls fluttering around him, her abdomen clenching, she was on the brink again- her eyes were glazed, she was completely gone, her breaths were just uneven rasps as pleasure gripped her body. Severus was faring no better, his face torn into an expression of agonised bliss as he fell into her over and over again. He grasped her hands in his, their fingers entwining as he lifted their hands over her head and drove into her one last time hitting her so deeply he felt he'd never be able to leave her body ever again when she shattered around him, screaming out her pleasure to the heavens as he pulsed inside her, giving her his life source, emptying everything he was into her as he collapsed, his face wet with tears of love he hadn't realised he'd been shedding.

He lay on top of her, limbs entangled in hers, both of them gasping into each other, hearts pounding against their chests. He rolled onto his back, taking her with him, without leaving her body. He grabbed the duvet and covered them, feeling the chill as their sweat cooled. Hermione sleepily sighed into his chest as he stroked her hair, a smile curling his lips as his eyes drooped in fatigue. Soon they were both fast asleep, clasped in each other's arms as if they were never going to let go.

...

One week later, Severus and Hermione had finally managed to leave the apartment to go on a short trip to Flourish and Blotts. They'd managed to get somewhat... distracted, however, between the magical creatures and the arithmancy sections. The distraction had evolved into Hermione with her arms around Severus' neck and her back against the bookshelves when suddenly they heard someone clearing their throat.

Harry Potter stood there with his parents, his cheeks red and his mouth hanging slightly open. Lily and James Potter stood behind him holding hands, equal looks of surprise and disbelief on their faces. Hermione and Severus jumped apart, their cheeks tinged with pink and both with guilty expressions on their faces. Severus guessed they'd gotten a bit carried away...

"Harry! Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" Hermione exclaimed, before stepping forward to give Harry a small hug. They'd only seen each other a few times in the last month, Harry having been busy getting to know his parents. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks" Harry replied, awkwardness written all over his face. Hermione had told him that she'd been seeing Severus but he hadn't expected it to be so... physical. "Erm, so, how are you?"

Severus saw a slightly pinched look on Lily Potter's face and was pleased, but not surprised, to notice that seeing her evoked no feelings of any kind in him whatsoever. He stepped forward and put his arm around Hermione.

Hermione looked up at him and smiled, leaning into his body as she replied to Harry: "I'm great, thank you, very happy. Actually, Harry, Severus and I are moving in together!" Hermione exclaimed. Much to Severus' delight, Lily Potter's jaw dropped noticeably and James Potter just looked very confused.

"Erm, right, er, congratulations Hermione" Harry managed to say, clearly at a complete loss as to how he should respond. "We'll, erm, catch up soon, right?"

"Sure Harry" Hermione smiled, before taking Severus' hand. "We should be off actually, things to do. But I'll see you soon!" They left the store together, hand in hand, leaving the Potters speechless behind them.

As soon as they had apparated back to their apartment, Severus gathered Hermione in his arms. "I love you, Hermione" he murmured into her hair and she smiled and leaned up to kiss him gently on the lips.

"I love you too" she replied softly, "I always will". And Severus knew it was true.


End file.
